There is no doubting that the Kansas City Chiefs’ defense is much improved.

FlowersYou can credit several people. New defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel has his unit playing disciplined, timely football. Third-year defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey is having a breakout season. Linebackers Tamba Hali and Derrick Johnson are both playing at an All-Pro level. Rookie safety Eric Berry is showing why he is the No. 5 overall pick. They all deserve their due credit.

But don’t forget the play of third-year cornerback Brandon Flowers. He’s been outstanding. Perhaps overshadowed in a division teeming with strong cornerback play, the 5-foot-9, 187-pound Flowers has been fantastic this season. He is a big reason why Kansas City is 5-2 and heading into a crucial game at 4-4 Oakland on Sunday.

He is getting high, I mean, high, praise.

“Brandon Flowers is exceptional,” Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. said. “He’s not very known, but he is playing terrific football. He’s playing better than (New York Jets Darrelle) Revis and as good as Nnamdi (Oakland’s Asomugha). He’s been that good.”

Revis and Asomugha are routinely considered the gold standards of NFL cornerback play. For Flowers to be compared to these players, is pretty heady stuff.

Flowers has been a contributor since he was a second-round pick in 2008, the final season of the Carl Peterson-Herm Edwards era. Flowers caught heat for poor play in the preseason, but he has been a standout this season.

He is a complete player who gives up little in the pass game who had key interceptions in wins over Cleveland and San Francisco. He has become a stalwart against the run. Kansas City coach Todd Haley said this week that he thinks Flowers is a premier run supporter as well as a fine cover man.

“This guy is a unique, highly-competitive player,” Haley told reporters in Kansas City this week. “You can see that he enjoys and thrives on being challenged. As each receiver group comes into town or we got to town against, the bigger the name the bigger the step up you see from Brandon."

So, when you think about why the Kansas City defense is better and helping the team become a legitimate playoff contender, you have to look at the little cornerback who is on the verge of creating a big name for himself.